"We must be ready to dare all for our country. For history does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid. We must acquire proficiency in defense and display stamina in purpose." - President Eisenhower, First Inaugural Address

Deck is green

Saturday, July 27, 2013

"Now Hear This" PT Boats

Back during the Korean War, the Navy Recruiting Service and NBC teamed up to produce a radio series, "Now Hear This." Here's one of the shows concerning a type of boat the Navy had abandoned (for the most part) after WWII - the PT Boat:

(to listen, click on the arrow thingie in the box above and the show will start)For those of you young enough not to remember the days before everyone had television - this is one example of how we got entertainment over the radio. The challenge for the scriptwriter and the listener was to create a mental image of the world being described.

You should also note that the writers took considerable poetic license in this story. While the U.S. fleet was not yet built up, there were heavy ships out there - a tale well told in James D. Hornfischer's Neptune's Inferno. We had a nice chat with him about the book on Midrats in 2011.

Not denying the courage and dedication of the PT Boat crews, just saying that it was part of a larger story . . .

By the way, this is an experiment of sorts in learning how to put an mp3 onto this site. There may be a few kinks. Creative commons license applies to the audio.

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EagleSpeak

About EagleSpeak

The main focus of this blog is maritime security. Other matters may appear. I am a retired attorney and a retired Navy Reserve Captain (Surface Warfare). Opinions expressed herein are my own. Sometimes I have the experience to back them up. Your opinions may vary. Don't panic. Feel free to disagree, that's what free speech is all about.
Nothing contained herein should be confused as me giving legal advice to anyone. If you are confused, welcome to the club. All mistakes herein are my fault. I have sufficient academic credentials to be dangerous to myself and to others.
Comment moderation is at my discretion, so your comments may never appear. You can start your own blog for free and comment there all you want. I enjoy a healthy debate, but not arguing with trolls. If you can't comment without using intemperate language, go someplace else., Under the header: MH-60S of HSC 14 approaches the flight deck of USS Spruance (DDG 111). (U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Ryan D. McLearnon/Released)